Chronicle
by Plural Force
Summary: A trick. Tintlet. Rune. Revival water. Now he's dying, and it's all her fault. Threeshot, request from and gift for Pyro Blossom. The ultimate Rune deathfic.
1. Prologue: Tintlet's Mistake

Welcome, welcome, everybody, to the ultimate Rune deathfic. This was a request (...actually, I half-suggested it) from a good friend of mine, and the idea was just too interesting to pass up. (That, and the fact that I might earn a reputation for killing off Rune.) So, here ya go.

This is the only fic of mine in which I have the entire thing, the entire story, written out before posting. The author's notes, too-- I normally write those in QuickEdit. Certainly a first for me... So enjoy yourselves, and review.

...Oh yes, and the red-haired youkai is an OC of mine. Unless, of course, you can tell me of a shapeshifter in Dragon Knights. (And I refuse to use Envy, so the red-haired youkai stays.)

Dedication: This chapter of the fic is dedicated to Hiei (also known as Markaleb here on FFnet-- yes, I know that's you), whose suggestion made the request possible. The prologue would probably not be here if not for her n.n;;; Thanks for your help in killing off one of your favorite characters.

Disclaimer: I don't own Dragon Knights.

Chronicle

Prologue: Tintlet's Mistake

She stood in the middle of the clearing, her curly blond hair fluttering slightly in the wind, bright blue eyes gleaming dangerously. All around her, nature was in bloom. Magnificent oaks were thriving as they sheltered the fertile grass from the sunlight's gentle touches. Wildlife, big and small, raced through the trees and trampled over the underbrush. It was truly an amazing sight.

But she wasn't here to admire the scenery.

"Who are you?" she growled, glaring at the youkai across the clearing. "What do you want with me? What do you want with _Rune_?"

The red-haired demon smirked. "What do you think I want? I want you to kill him."

"W-what?" The faerie-girl did a double-take, staring at the demon and the blonde-haired boy beside him. _What?_ "B-but that's... that's _Rune_!"

The youkai sighed dramatically. "Tintlet, Tintlet, Tintlet. You don't know anything, do you?"

"B-but--"

"_Look_ at him." The youkai sauntered over to her, draping one arm around her shoulders and gesturing toward the aforementioned elf. "Look at him, look at his eyes. That can't be the real Rune..."

Tintlet peered closely, moving slowly forward as she looked. His eyes were totally dead; he didn't move or say a word. But that _face_... wasn't it her lover?

"...Can it?"

Abruptly realizing that the youkai's hand was no longer on her shoulder, she whirled around to find...

"_Rune?"_

Although the image of the blonde-haired elf stood where the red-haired demon had once been, the face still wore that characteristic, youkai-like smirk.

"How do you like it?" the demon murmured in Rune's voice. "Now you have two to decide from..."

All of a sudden, the world was swirling all around her, in strange hues of blue and violet and black, and the two identical images of Tintlet's lover faced her, both wearing identical youkai-like smirks.

"_...how will you choose which one to kill..."_

She looked down at her hand; had she been holding something before? Slowly, the faerie held up a tiny gray bottle; harmless-looking but in reality quite deadly.

"_...when you have two of us?"_

Tintlet's hands shook as she realized what the small bottle held.

_It's..._

Scared, she looked up; surely one of them had to be real? But no, they both wore a very un-Rune-like smirk, something Tintlet's beloved would never have done.

Slowly, truth dawned upon her.

_It's not him,_ she realized. _Neither of these two is Rune. He wouldn't do this; he wouldn't look like that!_

Confident now, Tintlet lunged for the nearest Rune. Grabbing his wrist, she threw the little gray bottle.

And as that bottle hit his arm and shattered, and as the revival water poured out over his shoulder, the elf's expression changed. It was no longer a cocky smirk, but a look of pain and horror. A look that only the _real_ Rune would wear.

And Tintlet realized that she had made a deadly mistake.

-End prologue


	2. Chronicle: Rune's Suffering

Well, here's the second chapter of my little three-shot here (is that what it's called when you have a three-chapter one-shot?). Enjoy, and don't forget to review. I actually had a lot of fun writing this... Oh, and I was listening to the song "Come" by Namie Amuro as I wrote the second half of this. That was the song that inspired my other Rune deathfic... and unlike that one, I didn't cry while I wrote this. oO;;;

Dedication: This chapter of the fic is dedicated to Pyro Blossom-- who requested that I write a fic where Tintlet kills Rune. (Just don't go roasting the girly-man over a fire, okay? n.n;;; ) Without her, this fic would not exist. So she better at least be reviewing... (kidding XD)

Disclaimer: I don't own Dragon Knights.

Chronicle

Chronicle: Rune's Suffering

"Rune? Are you okay?"

I smile a slightly pained smile and wave off Rath's concern, a gesture that makes him look at me suspiciously but walk away all the same. I sigh in relief as he strides off down the hallway.

As I walk toward the Lord's work room, I nervously tug on the neck of my cream-colored turtleneck shirt, making sure it covers the wounds adequately. I don't want anybody finding out just yet.

_Alfeegi would know by now_, I think to myself, remembering how the White Dragon Officer had figured out Kaistern's fate. _He was always too observant..._

I stop in front of Lykouleon's door, resting one hand against it. _I should at least tell the Lord. He should know about this._

Sighing, I push open the heavy whitewashed door.

"Rune?" Lykouleon looks surprised as he looks up from his paperwork. "...You're wearing a turtleneck in the middle of the summer? That's different."

"M-my lord," I stutter quietly. "I'd... like to talk to you..." I pause, glancing over at Ruwalk's and Tetheus's desks, "...alone."

Looking concerned, the Dragon Lord gets up from his desk. I let him pass me by, and follow him to a smaller, private room.

"Rune," he says as he sits me down in a large armchair, sitting across from me himself. "What is it?"

I take a deep breath. _I'm not ready for this._ "I just wanted you to know..." I unzip the front of my shirt and pull the right side away, revealing the rotting flesh on my neck, shoulder, and forearm.

"I'm dying," I state bluntly as he looks at my arm in horror.

"R-Rune..." He reaches out slowly and touches my shoulder. I hiss and recoil at the pain, turning my head away.

"I'm--I'm sorry," Lykouleon whispers. He's still staring at my wound; he can't take his eyes off it. "The same fate... as Kaistern..." He gets up from his chair and starts heading for the door.

"Don't!" I cry. He stops abruptly and turns his head toward me.

"I... don't want them to know about this yet," I whisper. "None of them."

"I see... is there anything I can do...?" he asks hesitantly.

"Nothing." I shake my head. "There's nothing you can do now."

"...I'm sorry," he murmurs before leaving the room.

-o0o-

It's hard, ignoring pain.

Thankfully, the rotting flesh hasn't spread any farther up my neck, so I can hide that for now. But it's still been spreading down my arm and across my chest for the past few weeks.

It's difficult to hide it-- especially from Rath and Thatz. We spend so much time together that I think they're starting to get suspicious. And the pain that shoots through my body every time one of them touches the wound certainly doesn't help, either-- I have to keep myself from flinching each time.

_How did Kaistern live through all this?_

For the past few days, it's been getting worse now. The rotting flesh has spread all the way across my chest and is creeping down my left arm, and is even spreading down my legs now. I can feel it crawling down my back, around my neck, paralyzing me.

The pain gets worse each day, too. Not only the suffering pain of having my body rotting away, but the pain that increases each time I touch something. And the pain of knowing that there is nothing I can do.

_So this is how... I'm going to die..._

I stagger as I walk down the deserted hallway, gripping my right shoulder painfully. That's where the pain is worst.

As I'm walking I run into one of the tall posts that keeps the ceiling up. My head bangs against it and I press my back against the white marble, sliding down onto the floor. I sit there, my eyes half-closed in pain, my breathing erratic, my head pounding.

This particular hallway, I notice, is one of the few that lines the outside, with the wall facing the garden completely open save for a small railing that comes to about one's waist. The other wall, the one I'm facing, is just like any other hallway.

_It's the little details like that about the castle that I always... liked..._

I can feel the rotting flesh spreading up my neck now, onto my face. The pain is terrible... unlike anything I've ever experienced.

_This is it. This is where I'm going to die. Alone in a hallway, with no one to realize it._

I'd kept Lykouleon posted on the progress of the wounds, and had told him that when the time comes, to tell Rath and Thatz.

_Hopefully, he'll be doing that right now..._

As I sit, with nothing but pain to occupy me, my thoughts wander.

_Tintlet..._

_I don't blame her. I never did. What happened wasn't her fault... she could never have known... I hope she doesn't think that..._

Footsteps. Coming down the nearby hallway. Two voices, shouting something. Is it my name...? I can't even tell anymore.

And then, there they are, two figures, two friends. I perceive that one has dark red hair with a streak of white, and bloodred eyes. Rath. And the other man, messy green hair and emerald eyes... That must be Thatz. They're both shouting something, but I can no longer make out the words.

Amidst the madness I hear the cry, "Get help..." _Get help? How? There's nothing you can do to help me now._

I reach up with my rotting hand and touch Rath's face, feeling rare tears. Then I turn to Thatz, whose cheeks are also streaked with tears. I smile sadly. "You don't... have to do this for me..."

My hand drops down and I let myself slump forward, giving in.

"Just let me..." _Let me go..._ "Let me go... let me..." _Let me... end this..._

_"Let me end this pain..."_

"Rune!"

I close my eyes.

-End chronicle


	3. Epilogue: Tintlet's Sorrow

...Aaaand here's the third part. I'm listening to the soundtrack to Cirque du Soleil's show "Ka" as I write this... oO;;; Enjoy. And review.

Dedication: This chapter of the fic is dedicated to Pam t3h Spam, the almighty Viaresu-lover. Without her suggestion, this would've ended at chapter 2. n.n;;; Now, I can't remember if it was Pam or Hiei who made the comment about helping kill off one of their favorite characters, so I'll say it again-- thanks for your help in killing off one of your favorite characters. n.n;;;

Disclaimer: I don't own Dragon Knights.

Chronicle

Epilogue: Tintlet's Sorrow

He was dead.

And it was all her fault.

Tintlet stood in the center of one of the guest chambers in the Dragon Castle, clad in a rare black dress. Behind her, the window showed that Dragon Tribe members and guests of all kinds were gathering in the graveyard, near a newly-crafted coffin.

_I can't go out there..._ she thought. _I can't go out there and face him again, knowing that I was the one who did this._

_I have to do something... I have to get out of here... Something... Anything...!_

Panicked, the elf princess began throwing open the dresser drawers, finally stopping when she found what she was looking for.

Sitting in the otherwise empty drawer was a knife.

Shaking, she took the slender weapon and held it up to her wrist.

_I can't stay here any longer..._

_Rune... I'm coming for you..._

Later, people would wonder when she didn't show up to the funeral. She, Rune's own, beloved, not coming to honor his death?

But when they entered her room afterwards, they would not find a grieving woman, but a body, stone cold, covered in blood.

One could almost sense the happiness she had during her final moments when they looked at the smile on her lips.

-End epilogue

--Owari--

--End--


End file.
